First Listen: Al Green is back with new music

(December 5, 2024) Al Green is regarded as one of the greatest soul singers of all time, with classics like “Let’s Stay Together,” “Love and Happiness,” and “Tired of Being Alone.”  Having a long list of hits that he wrote, it’s of interest what songs he’s chosen to cover. Within the last few years, Green covered Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (2018) and Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” (2023). His newest recording is a remake of “Everybody Hurts,” first released by rock band R.E.M. in 1993.

The song is relatable because everybody experiences hurt sometimes and can feel like giving up when things get tough. Al Green understands that. In his rendition, you can sense the emotion as the 78-year-old sings with the voice of experience, as someone who’s been through some things in life.  Green makes the song his own on the recording, which features a string section and stirring background vocals; the song feels like it’s been dipped in southern fried soul.  Accounting for that sound is the fact that Green reunited with musicians from Hi Records in Memphis, with whom he collaborated on some of his greatest hits, like the ones mentioned above.

Explaining his recording of “Everybody Hurts,” Al Green said: “I could really feel the heaviness of the song, and I wanted to inject a little touch of hope and light into it. There’s always a presence of light that can break through those times of darkness.”  Green’s moving version does inject hope by encouraging the listener multiple times to “hold on” despite adversity.